Pre-tied neckties



Dec. 3, 1963 J. w. LEss 3,112,492

' PRE-TIED NECKTIES Filed Sept. 8, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Dec. 3, 1963 J. w. LESS 3,112,492

PRE-'PIED NECKTIES Filed sept. s, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United StatesPatent Oiice strana Patented ec. 3, lii

3,l2,492 PRE-RED NECKTEES .oseph W. Less, 824 5th Ave. S., Ciiriton,iowa Fiied Sept. S, 1969, Ser. No. 54,687 7 Claims. (Cl. 2-153) Thisinvention relates to a pre-tied necktie, a forni therefor, and themethod of securing the necktie to the form. More particularly it relatesto an improved wings and hook type of support structure which imparts tothe tic the appearance of having been hand tied.

Wings have been used in conjunction with pre-tied neckties for manyyears. These wing structures have been used by themselves to simulate aneck encircling neckband and in conjunction with a collar buttonsupport. More recently, there have appeared wings and hook structures,havinCf wings which engage the collar fold of a shirt. Applicant himselfhas pioneered workon this type of device over the past several years,one such being disclosed in Patent 2,683,881 relating to pre-tied bowties. With the present invention, applicant provides the combination ofa necktie form having soft flexible or pliable wings, yet havino astrong, durable and relatively inflexible or rigid hook.

Applicant has, in the course of his development, used a wings and hookforrn employinU the saine material for both tne wings and the hook.However, since these two elements perform two different functions,material which is satisfactory for the one is not necessarilysatisfactory for the other. lf the material is relativeiy inflexible itmakes an ideal hook, however it then marks the shirt collar by causingan impression visible on the surface of the collar. n the other handwhen the material is flexible it makes an ideal wings member which willnot crease, or niark the shirt collar, but then the hook is too liexibleand frangible for properly supporting the tie. v

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and means forengageably supporting a four-in-hand necktie between the collar band andthe collar fold of a shirt.

It is a further object to provide such a structure and method of makingit which is durable, which is econornv ical to fabricate, and which willsecurely support a neckte without forming a visible impression in theshirt collar.

These and other objects will become more apparent in view of thefollowing specitication and drawings wherein like reference charactersrefer to like parts throughout:

HG. l an actual size presentation of the wings used as a form in shapingand holding the knot;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the wings member shown in HG. i;

3 shows the wings member with the tab inserted into the central seam ofa tubular tie as .the first step in manufacturing the pre-tied necktie;

FiG. 4 indicates a quarterfold formed in the face of the tie at the backofthe wings member;

FIG. 5 illustrates a quarterfold as it is being made inthe tail of thetie;

FIG. res the quarterfold of the tail of the tie inserted wi thequarterfold of the face of the tie;

FIG. 7 includes a staple securing the quarterfold of the tail of the tiewithin the quarterfold of the face of the tie;

8 is a showing of a wire collar band frarne rnember and hook shown inperspective on an enlarged scale; FlG. 9 shows the collar band hook ofFIG. 8 being 2 inserted into the quarterfolds shown in FIGS. 5 through7;

FG. l() illustrates the staple which holds the sides of the knot nearthe bottom folded upon themselves over the lower part of the wire form,the edges of the foided sides being brought adjacent each other andstitched together with a staple. The tie, complete and ready to be worn,is shown as it appears from the rear;

FG. ll is a side elevation of the knot shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. FIG. 9;

FG. 13 is a front elevation of the knot shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective of the tie as worn on a shirt.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the support for the tieconsists of two members, the collar fold engaging wings member B and thecollar band engaging frame member and hook A shown in FEGS. l and 8respectively.

The wines member which serves to hoid and shape the knot in the necktieconsists of two wings i4 swept into a V-shape. Extending from thebottoni of the V and centrally thereof is a tab l5 ending in a wideportion i6. The length of this tab is dictated by the width of the tiewith which the wings member is to be employed, for as shown most clearlyin Fi 3 the tab is inserted into the seatn of a tubular necktie so thatthe wide portion lo of the tab engages the edge of the necktie, wherebyas can be seen by the later drawings, this tab serves to support the topof the knot of the necktie when it is pretied around the wings member.The wings member as shown here is preferably made of a flexible materialsuch as plastic so that it can be curved for litting under a shirtcollar and for more nearly simulating the appearance of a hand tiednecktie.

Fr'G-S. 3 through 7 and 9 through l0 illustrate the method of mounting anecktie on these two supports.

The tab 15 is inserted into the center seam of a tubular necktie C sothat the extremity of the tab contacts the inside edge of the necktie.As mentioned above, the tab supports what will later be the top of theknot of the necktie.

Obviously, inasmuch as this necktie does not encircle the neck of thewearer, it may be somewhat shorter than a conventional necktie.

The face portion i7 of the tie is drawn back around the outside edge ofthe wings member and quarterfolded back behind itself as shown in' FIG.4.

The tail end it; of the tie is then drawn back the opposite edge of thewings member and it too is quarterfolded back behind itself and thisfold is inserted within the quarterfold of the face portion of the tieas shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The two folds are then stapled as at i9 orotherwise clipped together as shown in FIG. 7.

The collar band frame member and hook A consists or" a wire loop lllhaving legs which extend upward parallel to each other, each of saidlegs then has bends il over and back down for a portion of the length ofthe loop. As shown, each leg has an additional bend Mci, which titstightly against the front, or outside portion of the collar band of ashirt for gripping the band between that bend and the legs of loop lil.Each leg is then bent back up behind itself at a second bendlf/Z for aportion of the length of the' legs of the loop, then l2 is a top planView of the knot shown in around at a third bend i3 each leg is bentslightly upward and outward, and inally at a. fourth bend ida each legisbent down in an angular direction toward the second bend 12. Thus asbetween the bends lia and the sides of the loop it, there is a coilarband receiving space having the open portion of the loop facingupwardly.

For the purpose of supporting the back of the tie on the collar band ofa shirt, the wire .frame member of FlG. 8 is inserted within thequarterfolds o the tie. The insertion of this wire frame is illustratedin FIG. 9.

When properly inserted the wire collar band frame assists in keeping theknot tied. The outer dimensions of the hook support reach out toapproximately the same width as the bottom portion of the wings member.Because the outer ends i4 of the wing member E are substantiallyoverlapped by the outer bends of the collar band hook the latter bendsare designated 14a. Although this hook member A shown in FIG. 8 is madefrom wire, it can obviously be made in other ways, and from differentmaterials without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I1Finishing touches on the ltie include the final steps of folding thebottom portions 21 and 22 of the sides of the knot upon themseives intwo second folds over the lower part lof the wire form, then bringingthe edges of the folded sides adjacent each other and clipping Z (PEG.10) the resulting newly formed folds together at the back of the knotlin the area of the collar band hook iti. With the bottom of the knotthus folded and clipped, the wings are curved back slightly as best seenin FlG. 12.

FIGS. 11 through 13 show the complete knot from various angles.

As worn on a shirt the wings t under the collar with the inside edges`of the wings engaging the collar fold. The collar -band hook l@ titsover and behind the collar band of the shirt. Serving to support theknot of this necktie in an attractive manner is counteraotion of thedownward force exerted by the collar fold against the top of the wings,by the upward force exerted by the collar band against the hook.

Various changes may be made in this pre-tied necktie without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, it being understood that thisdisclosure illustrates but a preferred embodiment of the invention.

I claim:

l, In a pre-tied necktie, the combination including collar fold engagingswept wings, and a collar hook arrangement, said wings being of tiexiblesheet material and have a tab appended at the junction or" the wings andextending centrally :between the wings, said necktie having a middleseam extending lengthwise thereof said tab fitting transversely intosaid middle seam of the necktie at a point intermediate the ends of thete, the length of said ltab being suicient to contact the edge of thetie whereby said tab serves both to shape the top of the knot and tosupport the level `ot the knot, the face and tail of said tie extendingbackwardly around the outside edges of the wings, then quarterfoldedbehind themselves with the ends hanging downwardly behind said wings,the lquarterfold in the tait of the tie partially inserted within zthequarterfold of the face of said tie, a clip securing :the folds to eachother at this point of overlapping insert'tion, a collar fold hookhaving wings which correspond in spread to the bottom portion of thecollar fold engaging :swept wings, each of said collar fold hook wingsfitting within one of the quarterfolds in the necktie with the ,'hookexposed for attachment over a shirt collar band, the bottom edges of theknot folded back toward each other and clipped to hold the wings curvedback sufii cieutly -to impart to the tie the appearance of being handtied.

2. In a pre-tied necktie, the combination including collar fold engagingswept wings, and a collar hook arrangement, said wings being of tlexiblesheet material and have a tab integral with fthe junction extendingcenupwardly between the two trally between the wings for a portion oftheir length, said necktie having a middle seam extending lengthwisethereof, said tab litting transversely into said middle seam of thenecktie at a point intermediate the ends of the tic, the face and tail`of said tie extending backwardly around the outside edges tot thewings, then quarterfoldcd behind themselves with the ends hangingdownwardly behind said wings, the quarterfold in the tail of the tiepartially inserted within the quarterfold of the face of said tie, thetwo folds clipped together at this point of overlapping insention, acollar fold hook having wings which correspond in wingspread to thebottom portion of the collar fold engaging swept wings, each of saidcollar fold hook wings fitting within one of the quarterfolds in theneektie with the hook exposed for attachment over a shirt collar band,the bottom edges of the knot `folded back toward each other and clippedto hold the wings curved back under tension sufficient that the tie willhave the appearance of being hand tied.

3. In a prestied necktie, the combination including collar fold engagingwings swept into a generally V-snape in combination with a collar bandhook, said wings being of iiexible `sheet material and having a tabextending from the junction and between the wings and integral with saidwings, said necktie having ya middle seam extending lengthwise thereofsaid tab tting into said middle seam of the necktie in a directiontransverse to the length of the -tie at a point intermediate the ends ofthe tie, the extremities of said -tie extending baokwardly around theoutside edges of the Wings, then quarterfolded under with the endshanging downwardly behind said wings, the quarterfold in the tail offthe tie partially inserted within the quarterfold of the face of saidtie, the two folds clipped together at this point of overlappinginsertion, the bottom edges of the knot folded back toward each otherand clipped under tension to curve the wings backwardly sufticiently andthrust the knot forwardly so that when Worn the tie will have theappearance of being hand tied.

4. In a pre-tied four-in-hand necktie, a collar fold engaging wingsmember of relatively flexible material, a collar band engaging framemember and a hook carried by said frame member, said hook and framemember being of relatively rigid material, said wings member having agenerally V-shape, a tab extending centrally legs of the V engaging thefold of the necktie, necktie material, said necktie material envelopingsaid wings member about the middle thereof and also covering lfall ofsaid frame member except said hook to constitute the knot of thenecktie.

5. In =a pre-tied four-in-hand necktie, the combination includingcollarl fold engaging V-shaped wings, a collar band frame member havinga hookcarried by said frame member 'and V-shaped wings having aperipheral outline substantially the same as the peripheral outline ofsaid collar fold engaging V-shaped wings, a dat tab extending from thebottom of the V of the collar fold engaging wings upwardly centrallybetween the wings, the flat tab engaging the fold of the necktie fandserving to shape the top of the knot and to support .the level of theknot on said wings, said collar band frame member and hook being of morerigid material than the material of said collar fold engaging wings,said hook having an open loop located centrally thereof for engagementbehind a collar band with the open portion of the loop facing upwardly,neckte material, said necktie material enveloping said wings member4about the middle thereof and also covering all of said frame memberexcept said hook to constitute the knot of the neck-tie.

6. In a pre-tied our-in-hand necktie, a coilar fold engaging wingsmember having two Wings joined at their base and extending laterally andupwardly, and a collar band engaging structure having an outer contoursubstantially matching the outer contour of said wings member, a hookcarried by said structure, said wings member being of relatively lexiblematerial and having a tab extending upwardly ffrom the base of saidwings member and centrally therebetween engaging the fold or thenecktie, necktie material, said neck-tie material enveloping said wingsmember abou-t the middle Ithereof land also covering all of said collarband engaging structure except said hook to constitute the knot of thenecktie.

7. The subject matter of claim 6 in which said wings member and saidrt-ab lare of sheet plastic and said neckband engaging structure is ofWire.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS OLearyNov. 10, 1908 Gilbert Apr. 20, 1926 -Less Dec. 8, 1936 vRiordan etal.Oct. 17, 1950 Bourgeois June 25, 1957 Kanter July 9, 1957 Less Sept. 3,1957

1. IN A PRE-TIED NECKTIE, THE COMBINATION INCLUDING COLLAR FOLD ENGAGINGSWEPT WINGS, AND A COLLAR HOOK ARRANGEMENT, SAID WINGS BEING OF FLEXIBLESHEET MATERIAL AND HAVE A TAB APPENDED AT THE JUNCTION OF THE WINGS ANDEXTENDING CENTRALLY BETWEEN THE WINGS, SAID NECKTIE HAVING A MIDDLE SEAMEXTENDING LENGTHWISE THEREOF SAID TAB FITTING TRANSVERSELY INTO SAIDMIDDLE SEAM OF THE NECKTIE AT A POINT INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE TIE,THE LENGTH OF SAID TAB BEING SUFFICIENT TO CONTACT THE EDGE OF THE TIEWHEREBY SAID TAB SERVES BOTH TO SHAPE THE TOP OF THE KNOT AND TO SUPPORTTHE LEVEL OF THE KNOT, THE FACE AND TAIL OF SAID TIE EXTENDINGBACKWARDLY AROUND THE OUTSIDE EDGES OF THE WINGS, THEN QUARTERFOLDEDBEHIND THEMSELVES WITH THE ENDS HANGING DOWNWARDLY BEHIND SAID WINGS,THE QUARTERFOLD IN THE TAIL OF THE TIE PARTIALLY INSERTED WITHIN THEQUARTERFOLD OF THE FACE OF SAID TIE, A CLIP SECURING THE FOLDS TO EACHOTHER AT THIS POINT OF OVERLAPPING INSERTION, A COLLAR FOLD HOOK HAVINGWINGS WHICH CORRESPOND IN SPREAD TO THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE COLLARFOLD ENGAGING SWEPT WINGS, EACH OF SAID COLLAR FOLD HOOK WINGS FITTINGWITHIN ONE OF THE QUARTERFOLDS IN THE NECKTIE WITH THE HOOK EXPOSED FORATTACHMENT OVER A SHIRT COLLAR BAND, THE BOTTOM EDGES OF THE KNOT FOLDEDBACK TOWARD EACH OTHER AND CLIPPED TO HOLD THE WINGS CURVED BACKSUFFICIENTLY TO IMPART TO THE TIE THE APPEARANCE OF BEING HAND TIED.